I had booked myself a train for 5:05am to travel to Jaisalmer and because of the fact that I would only be paying for 3 hours sleep in accommodation, I decided that it would be a waste of money and that I should instead just sleep on the floor of the train station for that time. The being in the dark and being surrounded by random Indian men watching me throughout the night didn’t bother me. I’ve always wondered if I’ve just had too much confidence for my own good. But so far it’s worked Read more [...]

At precisely 5:02am I was awoken by a strange sound. I know it was this time exactly because I instantly panicked that it was lunch time and I had missed my delicious breakfast which was included with my accommodation and so jumped at my iPod to see if that was the case. It turns out that someone on the other side of my rooms wooden double door was knocking. After ignoring such for 5-10 minutes, I assumed whoever it was would give up from trying to get my attention. Unfortunately, this was not the Read more [...]

There was a man who wanted me to look at his factory. Like all the other men wanting to sell me things, I said 'No thank you. I'm busy.' Then he said 'I can give you free Chai'. This is when I realised that I'm a sucker for their free delicious tea and am thus a very cheap date in India. So into his factory I go and it turns out that he didn't actually want to sell me anything. I think he just appreciated being acknowledged by a foreigner and simply wanted a chat. I was in no rush and so Read more [...]

It’s my first night staying in Jodhpur and since having arrived at 4am, I was able to see plenty during the day. By the time it hit 9pm, I was completely drained. All I wanted was to rest in my double bed, read my book and sleep till the birds awake me with their singing. Unfortunately, this wasn’t as simple of a plan as I originally thought. It hit 10pm and I was reading my book in bed (unclothed obviously, as sleep was my next intention). I then hear knocking on the door of my room. Assuming Read more [...]

Interesting fact of the day.

I have been informed that there was a baby boy which has only just been born within walking distances of my current location.

The reason that I know this is because whenever a boy has been brought into this world, it is Indian culture to make a consistent banging sound on an instrument leaving half a second between each bang. Of course there is no sound when a girl is born. Though that was to be expected.

It has been a shock horror moment when I realised that after having been in India for just over 2 weeks I had yet to try their popular drink, Lassi. I had a special one with saffron and cinnamon. Delicious doesn't even begin to describe it. I looked around to all the others who had gone t the same corner café for the same reasons as me. They seemed so shocked to see me and were all eagerly staring (more than I was used to). I couldn't work out if it was just because I was a white girl in their Read more [...]

I officially have a masters degree in saffron.. Apparently. It’s just a bit of paper from a guy who taught me all about herbs, spices and the delicious teas of India.
I should now be able to detect proper saffron by looking at it, testing it and also tasting it. I just feel sorry for those of my age who are actually having to PAY for their degrees. Plus I genuinely found it very interesting. I might end up returning tomorrow…

Surprisingly I did manage to sleep quite a bit on the bus. The cute little cubbyhole wasn't as uncomfortable as I had expected it to be. Though I was informed of some horror stories and didn't help myself by YouTube-ing videos of other peoples 'interesting' experiences. I even got the cheapest possible ticket so I must have just been lucky. Looks like that whole praying malarkey wasn't such a bad idea after all, eh? I'm now in a lovely little guest house. It's not much to look at from the outside Read more [...]

I'm not afraid or even ashamed to admit that yesterday there was a moment where I felt quite sad for an hour or so. It was the time it took to send a very passionate yet sad email to a dear loved one. A loved one who I miss more than I could have imagined. Those who know me well know that when I feel down I tend to want to go out to a random location (normally alone) and have a drink with random people who I happen to introduce myself to. This has always been my way with coping with sadness in the Read more [...]